Caucasian Cuisine
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Food Culture and Foods of The Northern Caucasus

The following are some of the types of foods still made by those of North Caucasian origin:

Soups: Soups made of flour, millet, cracked wheat, ayran, hıngal (similar to ravioli), corn and bulgur.

Breads: Çüven bread, milk bread, tandır bread, galnış, hingel mejag.

Pastries: Corn pastry, pastry made with millet, semolina, wheat flour, and cheese, kak.

Dough-Based Foods: As throughout Anatolia, there are many different dishes based on dough. A few of these are fıdıgabın, fıtcan, velibah, haltımış, hınkal, stuffed köfte from corn flour, hatık, metaz, psıhalıve, ethıçın, metaz, hak haluj, filled puff pastry and şelame.

Meat Dishes: Among the chief types are braised meat, lepsi, dried meat, tandır kebab.

Milk And Milk-Based Foods: Abkhazian and Circassian cheese, yogurt, kundusu, butter, ekşimik etc.

Fowl: Chicken Şıpsı paste, Circassian chicken, Şıpsı with rice and potatoes, Abkhazian chicken.

Vegetable Dishes: Including onions, nettles, kale, beet greens, knotweed and stuffed squash flowers.

Dried Legumes: The most famous of these dishes is mashed beans. Others include Abkhazian style pinto bean puree with cornelian cherries and epışıpş made with lentils.

Salads: Some of these include sızbal, made with kale, radishes and plums; gıntur, a salad made from greenbriar and sickle weed, Dağistan salad and Circassian salad.

Pickles: Circassian pickles and pickled Jerusalem artichokes are the best know of these.

Sauces: Acıka, pepper with walnuts etc.

Sweets: Corn meal halvah, gomil, Abkhazian sweet, iron halvah, kabışıps, winter squash preserves etc.

Drinks: Boza, kalmuk tea, and raisin wine are among the best known.



Some Recipes for Foods of the Northern Caucasus

Demetaz

Dough:

1 kg corn meal
½ cup wheat flour
Enough water to make a medium dough

Filling:

2 onions, finely chopped
2 T butter
1 t pepper paste
1 c walnuts, pounded to a paste in a mortar and pestle
Salt to taste

1. Saute onions in butter, add pepper paste, walnuts and salt.
2. Knead corn meal with hot water, add half cup wheat flour, cover and let rest for 1-2 hours.
3. Take a small amount of dough in one hand, pinch it open and stuff with the filling mixture, seal and roll into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, then boil the stuffed dumplings in water. 
4. Remove from the boiling water, dip into cold water and remove, and serve. They may be eaten hot or cold.

Notes:

1. May be topped with yogurt and garlic
2. May be topped with melted butter
3. A sweet filling may be made with walnuts and sugar.

Source: Makbule Berkok / Shapsygh

Meat Hiçin

Dough:

2 k wheat flour
Water to make a stiff dough
Salt to taste

Filling 1

1 kg medium fatty ground mutton or lamb, coarsely ground
250 gr margarine
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, minced
1 pinch black and red pepper
Salt to taste
1 c water

1. Combine flour, water and salt to make a stiff dough, knead well. Remove a piece of dough the size of an apple, divide the rest in two and roll out with a rolling pin. Brush each with margarine. Roll up and fold, roll out once more and place one of the circles of dough in an oiled pan.
2. Combine ground lamb, garlic, onion, pepper and red pepper, salt and water and simmer until meat is tender. Two grated potatoes may be added if desired. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Spread the warm filling over the dough in the pan, and cover with the other piece of dough. Use the rolling pin to fuse the edges, then roll/flute them. Open a hole in the middle of the dough.
4. Roll the remaining piece of dough into a thin sheet (yufka) and spread over the top. Place in the oven; when the yufka is brown, remove it and allow the hıçın to continue cooking till done.

Source: Ayşe Kanşay / Karachay-Malkar

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